“Bring it. Anything you want, bring it,” I say with a genuine laugh.
“Perfect. I’ll see you later, then.” She takes a page out of my book, leaving me unable to respond since she hangs up abruptly.
The heavy door of my office bounces open. Dante and Vik stroll in, oozing their usual brand of arrogance, completely ignoring the fact that my door was shut and I know my assistant asked them to hold on. They don’t fucking listen, bunch of pricks. I toss the phone on my desk, stand up to button my suit jacket, and start closing shit down for the day.
“Heard you were spotted at the hospital yesterday.” Vik smirks, standing just inside my office.
“And?” I ask.
“Delivering coffee and playing the devoted whatever you want to call it during a certain person’s shift break,” Dante follows up, tossing himself on the sofa, sprawling out.
“Seems like you’re already pussy whipped,” Vik announces. They know that I’ve had my eyes on Cory for a while, and it was Rafe’s idea to get a wife. What they don’t know is the logistics, and they won’t.
“Alex has a big mouth,” I grunt.
“You have no idea. Word travels fast when she’s at her desk, eating lunch with her phone on speaker while talking to all the girls.” Vik shakes his head. “Man, your balls are already in her purse. Good luck. I think you’re going to need it.” He slaps my shoulder. I don’t blink or respond. I adjust my cufflinks, look between the two men, and while I’d normally trade barbs with them, that’s not happening today. Every second I spend in this office is one I’m not with Cory.
“It’s been fun, boys.” I step around them and stride out of my office. “I’m out of here. Drink your own liquor and stay out of mine.” I raise my hand and flick them off by way of goodbye. Their loud laughter echoes behind me as I swing my office door shut, closing them in.
“Karen.” I walk out into the lobby, my stride purposeful and fast. My assistant looks up from her work on the computer, her fingers paused over the keyboard.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Mercer. I tried to hold them off.”
“Don’t worry about it. They’ll never listen anyway. I’m working from home for the rest of the day. I’ll take the conference call with Tokyo there as well. Can you forward me all of files?” My assistant looks at me like a fish out of water. That’s two days in the past week I’ve rearranged my schedule.
“Yes, sir, I’ll do so now. Do you need me to rearrange tomorrow night’s dinner meeting as well?” I tap on her desk.
“No, keep that. Add a plus-one to the reservation if you can, though.” A plan formulates and hopefully, Cory’s schedule aligns with our first time out to schmooze the board and its members.
“Of course,” she replies, quickly typing in the adjustment.
“Oh, if there’s nothing else pertinent you need to do for the day, go home.” I head to the private executive elevator, pulling out my phone and shooting a text to the head of security, telling him to dispatch a moving truck and company to Cory’s apartment immediately. If my calculations are correct, I’ll be meeting Cory at home at the same time she arrives.
CHAPTER TEN
corinne
Last night was a form of torture unlike one I ever experienced before, and believe me, watching Dom in the kitchen didn’t help matters, either. The man walked around like a walking billboard sign for an expensive cologne, shirtless and in a pair of low-slung sweatpants. He helped me unpack my things, minus my undergarments and toys, which I kept tucked in the box and in the back of what Dom said is my side of the closet.
His light touches did nothing to calm the way he made me feel, either. When he suggested my reading chair go in the living room, where it’ll be used the most, it made me weak in the knees. He proceeded to cook me dinner. In a life where I’ve been a caregiver, having a career where others depend on me, it’s nice to have a man do the cooking, even if there’s a contract between us.
When it came time for bed, I made a beeline for the shower, choosing to take the coldest one possible, and still, it didn’t calm the ache between my legs.
“Are you enjoying your time?” Dom’s deep seductive voice whispers beneath the shell of my ear. Yeah, imagine going to sleep on opposite sides of the beds only to wake up tangled up inhis arms on his side of the bed. That would have been me who meandered to his warmth in the middle of the night, and while I can blame it on his need to keep the penthouse at below-freezing temperatures, the flannel pajama long-sleeve top, shorts, and socks should have kept me warm. It’s that gravitational pull I’m trying so hard to resist.
“Immensely, darling.” I have a flute of champagne in one hand, and the other is wrapped in Dom’s. He sprung a dinner meeting on me last minute. Lucky for him, my shift at the hospital was changed. I also put in a change in schedule with my department head. Since there are more dollars than cents in my bank account, I don’t have to work six days a week anymore. I’m officially back to four, and with any luck get to see my mother in the next day or so.
The board members are at the event, which means playing this up is part of my job now. It wasn’t hard to get dressed up in a little black dress, this one a far cry from the one I wore when I was out with the girls.
“Are you saying you want to stay longer than necessary?” I don’t respond. Instead, I drain the last of my bubbly and it goes straight to my head, tingling along my throat.
“I’m not saying that at all. Though, you might need to stop at the nearest burger joint. Do they always feed you this little?” I move my head to look into his eyes. Anyone else would think we’re having an intimate moment.
“A woman after my own heart. Shall we?” Dom stands up, holding his hand out for me to take.
“We shall.” Ever the gentleman, in public at least. The same can’t be said for behind closed doors. When I woke up this morning, his hand was beneath my shirt, the tips of his fingers dangerously close the swell of my ass, and the smallest movement had him sinking into my skin. I arched up, his mouth attached to mine, and Dom worked me up until his phonestarted ringing. Talk about a mood killer. And the kicker of it all was the clock stating it was before six o’clock in the morning.
The heavy weight of Dom’s hand rests at the small of my back, his thumb tracing slow, deliberate circles on the bare skin of a tasteful cutout of my dress. The heat of him burns straight through the fabric and has my core tingling. I swear I stay in a state of arousal whenever he’s nearby.
